Curated interview practice questions with answers. These are practice scenarios, not a verified list of past interview questions.
About Accenture hiring for CCNA roles
Accenture is a global professional services company offering strategy, consulting, technology, operations and digital services. India hosts a large share of its workforce, delivering software engineering, testing, cloud, data and AI projects for clients worldwide. It hires freshers and experienced professionals in India for associate software engineer, test engineer, data analyst and analytics consultant roles.
For CCNA roles, this Accenture practice set focuses most on Wireless and Automation (6), Switching and VLANs (6), Network Security (5), Routing and OSPF (4). It has 5 easy, 24 medium, 1 hard questions, so you can start easy and work up to the harder ones.
Company type
Consulting
Headquarters
Dublin, Ireland
Main India offices
Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Pune, Mumbai, Gurugram
Accenture CCNA interview process
Online assessment (cognitive + technical MCQs)
Coding assessment
Communication assessment
Technical and HR interview
Typical pattern based on public candidate experiences. Rounds vary by role, team and year.
Solved for AccentureStart practicing
3 QUESTIONS FREESign up to unlock the full question bank and track your progress.Unlock every question and answer, then continue practising company-wise and package-wise.
✓ 3 questions free • Unlock the rest in seconds
01
How would you represent an interface configuration in JSON and YAML?
The same data in both formats.
JSON:
{
"interface": "GigabitEthernet0/1",
"enabled": true,
"ipv4": ["192.168.1.1/24"]
}
YAML:
interface: GigabitEthernet0/1
enabled: true
ipv4:
- 192.168.1.1/24
02
A trunk between two switches is not forming. What would you check?
I check show interfaces trunk and show interfaces switchport on both sides. Common causes are mismatched modes (both dynamic auto), one side hard-coded as access, encapsulation not set on older switches, or the port being err-disabled. Native VLAN mismatch and allowed list differences do not stop the trunk but break traffic. Best fix is switchport mode trunk on both ends with nonegotiate.
03
Users complain Wi-Fi is slow in a conference room with 60 people. What do you check and fix?
This is usually a capacity, not a coverage, issue. I check client count per AP and channel utilisation on the controller. Fixes include adding APs with lower transmit power, steering clients to 5 or 6 GHz with band steering, disabling low data rates such as 1, 2 and 5.5 Mbps, using 20 or 40 MHz channels in dense areas, and limiting per-client bandwidth on the SSID.
04
Logs show MAC address flapping for several hosts between an access port and an uplink. What do you check?
MAC flapping means the switch sees the same source MAC arriving on two ports, which usually points to a Layer 2 loop, a misconfigured server NIC team, or a virtual machine host bridging two uplinks. Check show mac address-table for the MAC, trace both ports, verify STP state and look for unmanaged switches or hypervisor teaming in active-active mode without a matching port channel. Fix the loop or teaming, and keep BPDU Guard on access ports.
05
A new VLAN's users do not get DHCP addresses, but other VLANs work. What do you check?
I check that the SVI for the new VLAN is up and has ip helper-address pointing to the DHCP server, that the server has a scope for that subnet with the right gateway, and that the scope is activated. I confirm the VLAN is allowed on trunks. If DHCP snooping is enabled, I check the uplink is trusted, otherwise offers from the server are dropped.
06
Two hosts are in the same VLAN but one has mask /24 and the other /25. What problems may occur?
Each host decides local or remote using its own mask. With 192.168.1.10/24 and 192.168.1.200/25, the first thinks .200 is local and ARPs directly, but the second sees .10 as remote and sends replies to its gateway. Traffic can become one-way or asymmetric and may break completely if the gateway does not route it back. Fix the mask so both match the design.
DHCP snooping classifies ports as trusted (uplinks toward real DHCP servers) or untrusted (user ports). Server messages such as Offer and Ack arriving on untrusted ports are dropped, which stops rogue DHCP servers. It also builds a binding table of MAC, IP, VLAN and port, which Dynamic ARP Inspection and IP Source Guard use. Rate limits on untrusted ports prevent DHCP starvation.
08
What is port security and what are its violation modes?
Port security limits the MAC addresses allowed on an access port, either statically or by sticky learning. If an extra MAC appears, the violation mode acts: shutdown (default) err-disables the port, restrict drops the frames, logs and increments a counter, and protect silently drops frames. It stops MAC flooding and unauthorised devices on user ports.
09
How are ACL entries processed and what is the implicit deny?
ACL entries are checked top-down and the first match decides permit or deny; later lines are ignored. Every ACL ends with an invisible deny any, so traffic that matches no line is dropped. Therefore specific entries must come before general ones, and an ACL with only deny statements blocks everything. Always add a permit for allowed traffic and test after applying.
Enable per VLAN, trust uplinks and rate-limit user ports.
ip dhcp snooping
ip dhcp snooping vlan 10,20
no ip dhcp snooping information option
ip arp inspection vlan 10,20
interface GigabitEthernet1/0/48
ip dhcp snooping trust
ip arp inspection trust
interface range Gi1/0/1 - 46
ip dhcp snooping limit rate 15
show ip dhcp snooping binding
A VLAN is a logical Layer 2 broadcast domain created on a switch, independent of physical location. VLANs separate users, voice, guests and servers, reduce broadcast traffic, and improve security because traffic between VLANs must pass through a router or Layer 3 switch where it can be filtered. For example, finance and guest Wi-Fi users can share switches but stay isolated.
12
What is the difference between a two-tier and a three-tier campus design?
A three-tier design has access, distribution and core layers: access connects users, distribution aggregates access switches and applies policy, and the core provides fast transport between distribution blocks. A two-tier or collapsed-core design merges core and distribution, which suits small and medium campuses with fewer buildings. Three-tier scales better when there are many distribution blocks.
13
A Python script gets 401 errors when calling a controller REST API. What do you check?
401 Unauthorized means authentication failed. I check the username and password or API key, whether a token must first be requested from an auth endpoint and sent in a header like X-Auth-Token, whether the token expired, and the exact header name and format. I test the same call with curl or an API client to separate script bugs from credential issues.
14
Tell me about a time you found a security issue and reported it.
Situation: during a routine audit I noticed SNMP v2c with the default community public on several access switches. Task: close the gap without disrupting monitoring. Action: I reported it to my lead with evidence, proposed SNMPv3 with an ACL, tested with the monitoring team and rolled out in two batches. Result: the risk was closed in a week and SNMP checks were added to our device baseline.
Areas limit how far detailed LSAs flood, so SPF runs on a smaller database and changes in one area do not force recalculation everywhere. Area 0 is the backbone and every other area must connect to it, directly or through a virtual link. Routers connecting areas are ABRs and can summarize routes between areas. Single-area OSPF is the focus of CCNA.
16
A PC in VLAN 20 cannot reach a PC in VLAN 30. What do you check?
First I check each PC has the correct IP, mask and gateway for its VLAN. Then I confirm the switch ports are in the right VLANs with show vlan brief, and that the trunk to the Layer 3 device allows both VLANs using show interfaces trunk. On the Layer 3 device I check the SVIs or subinterfaces are up and have the right IPs, and that no ACL blocks the traffic.
17
How do you quickly calculate how many subnets and hosts a mask gives?
The SSID is the network name users see. The BSSID is the MAC address of the access point radio serving a BSS, the basic service set of one AP and its clients. An ESS is multiple BSSs sharing the same SSID connected by a wired distribution system, so clients can roam between APs. Each AP can broadcast several SSIDs, each with its own BSSID.
19
Two OSPF routers are directly connected but show no neighbour at all. How do you troubleshoot?
I check that the interfaces are up and in the same subnet, then show ip ospf interface to compare area, hello and dead timers, network type and authentication. I make sure the interface is not passive and that the network statement or ip ospf area command covers it. Finally I check that no ACL blocks protocol 89 or multicast 224.0.0.5, and use debug ip ospf adj if needed.
20
Describe a situation where you had to explain a technical issue to a non-technical manager.
Situation: a routing loop during a carrier change caused a two-hour outage and the operations head wanted an explanation. Task: explain cause and prevention simply. Action: I used a road map analogy, explained that two routers kept sending traffic to each other, showed the timeline and our fix, and listed three prevention steps with dates. Result: management approved a proper change review board, and trust in our team improved.
21
What is the difference between an access port and a trunk port?
An access port belongs to one VLAN and carries untagged frames, typically to PCs, printers or servers. A trunk port carries traffic for many VLANs between switches, routers or hypervisors, adding an 802.1Q tag to identify each frame's VLAN, except the native VLAN which is sent untagged. Access ports can also carry a separate voice VLAN for IP phones.
22
What is the native VLAN and what problems can a mismatch cause?
The native VLAN is the VLAN whose frames cross a trunk untagged, VLAN 1 by default. Both ends must use the same native VLAN; if they differ, frames leak between VLANs and CDP logs a native VLAN mismatch. For security, set the native VLAN to an unused ID, do not put users in it, and optionally tag it with vlan dot1q tag native to prevent VLAN hopping.
WPA2 uses AES-CCMP; WPA2-Personal uses a pre-shared key that is vulnerable to offline dictionary attacks, and WPA2-Enterprise uses 802.1X with RADIUS. WPA3-Personal replaces PSK with SAE, which resists offline guessing and gives forward secrecy. WPA3-Enterprise offers a 192-bit mode. WPA3 requires protected management frames. Open networks can use OWE for encryption without passwords.
24
How does controller-based networking differ from traditional networking?
Traditionally each device has its own control plane and is configured box by box. In controller-based or software-defined networking, a central controller holds the policy and pushes it to devices through southbound APIs such as NETCONF or OpenFlow, while applications talk to the controller through northbound REST APIs. This gives consistent configuration, automation and network-wide visibility.
25
An internal web server must be reachable from the internet on a public IP. How do you set it up?
Use static NAT or port forwarding so the public IP maps to the server's private IP, for example ip nat inside source static tcp 192.168.1.20 443 203.0.113.10 443. Add an ACL or firewall rule allowing only port 443 inbound, put the server in a DMZ VLAN, and create a public DNS record. Ideally place a firewall or reverse proxy in front instead of exposing the server directly.
A floating static route is a backup static route with a higher administrative distance than the primary route, so it stays out of the routing table until the primary disappears. For example, if OSPF (AD 110) learns the main path, ip route 0.0.0.0 0.0.0.0 203.0.113.1 200 installs only when OSPF loses the route. It is common for backup internet or 4G links.
27
Your company is running out of IP addresses on a /24 user subnet. What options do you have?
Options: expand to a /23 if the adjacent block is free and update the router and DHCP scope; create a new VLAN and subnet for some users, which also limits broadcast size; shorten DHCP lease times if many guest devices hold leases; and move printers, phones and IoT devices to their own subnets. Long term, plan an addressing scheme with growth headroom and consider dual-stack IPv6.
28
Traffic is taking a slow path because an old access switch became root bridge. How do you fix it?
The old switch has the lowest MAC with default priority, so it won the election. I set the core or distribution switch as root with spanning-tree vlan 1-4094 priority 4096, or root primary, and the secondary with 8192. I add Root Guard on distribution downlinks so access switches can never become root again. Then I verify with show spanning-tree root.
29
How do you configure a router as a DHCP relay and verify it?
Add the helper address on the client-facing interface.
interface vlan 20
ip helper-address 10.0.0.50
show ip interface vlan 20 | include Helper
debug ip dhcp server packet
The helper also forwards some other UDP broadcasts such as TFTP and DNS by default; use no ip forward-protocol udp to limit them.
30
Your company is adding a new branch with 40 users. What network components would you propose?
A branch router or SD-WAN edge for the WAN link and internet, one or two 48-port PoE access switches for PCs, phones and access points, and wireless access points managed by a controller or the cloud. I would add a firewall function, DHCP and DNS settings, VLANs for data, voice, guest and management, and a backup 4G or broadband link for resilience.
Tips to crack the Accenture CCNA interview
Practise the communication assessment, which checks spoken English through reading, listening and repeating sentences in a recorded format.
Revise MS Office, cloud basics, networking and pseudocode, as Accenture technical MCQs often cover these general IT topics.
Read about Accenture's focus on cloud, data and AI and be ready to discuss how you would work in client-facing teams.
Keep a one-minute story ready for every project on your CV: problem, your part, tools, result.
Practise the hard questions on this page aloud; Accenture interviewers usually ask follow-ups on your first answer.
Frequently asked questions
How many rounds are there in the Accenture CCNA interview?
Candidates usually go through 4 stages: Online assessment (cognitive + technical MCQs); Coding assessment; Communication assessment; Technical and HR interview. The exact rounds change with the role, team, location and your experience, so confirm the process with the recruiter.
Which topics should I prepare for the Accenture CCNA interview?
This practice set leans on Wireless and Automation (6), Switching and VLANs (6), Network Security (5), Routing and OSPF (4). Revise those first, then practise explaining one or two of your own projects end to end, because most Accenture interviewers ask you to walk through real work.
Are these the exact questions asked at Accenture?
No. These are curated practice questions that match the skills and difficulty usually tested in consulting interviews like Accenture's. They are not a leaked or verified list of past questions.
Where does Accenture hire CCNA professionals in India?
Accenture has large teams in Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Pune, Mumbai, Gurugram. Openings and locations change often, so check the Accenture careers page and filter by city and experience.